Bill Gates wants Microsoft for Unique Identification project

Bill Gates, who is in India to receive the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, said that he wants Microsoft to be part of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) project, which is now headed by Nandan M. Nilekani, a co-founder of Infosys, the country’s second largest software exporter.

Gates will meet UIDAI chairman Nilekani to offer the services of Microsoft for the UIDIA project.

Nilekani had assumed charge of UIDAI only on Thursday and expressed confidence that his team would be able to roll out the first set of identity numbers within 12-18 months.

The project would serve as an enabling infrastructure for other identification schemes and will conform to different applications. UID number would help government in identifying targeted beneficiaries for various welfare scheme and departments.